Trip to Kolli Hills

At the start of the new year, I made a simple plan—to visit three types of places: a beach, a mountain, and a forest. Kicking things off, I took my family to Rameshwaram for the sea. Next up? A mountain getaway.

My pick: Kolli Hills.

Now, funny story—I was actually supposed to visit Kolli Hills way back in 2021 with my uncle, but thanks to family commitments, that plan never happened. So when my uncle checked if I was free this time, I immediately agreed—but with one condition. No public transport. I wanted to drive there myself. After all, Kolli Hills is called a rider's paradise, and I wasn’t going to miss out on the thrill of that ride.

Plan

A quick 1.5-day trip. My brother Sridhar, my uncle, his son, and I hit the road at noon, heading to Namakkal for a wedding. That’s where we planned to stay the night before riding uphill to Aagaya Gangai Falls early the next morning.

We drove non-stop—skipped lunch, snacked our way through, and reached Namakkal by 8 PM. After attending the wedding, we headed straight to our rooms, hoping to get some rest before the big drive. But sleep? That was a joke. New place = trouble sleeping. I barely managed 1.5 to 2 hours of sleep.

The Uphill Ride

With 72 hairpin bends ahead of me and barely any sleep, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pull it off. But I convinced myself up and hit the road at 7:30 AM.

The moment we passed through the entrance arch of Kolli Hills, I felt a shiver run through my body. A mix of fear and excitement. Slowly, I started riding uphill, carefully controlling my speed at each bend. But after about halfway through the bends, I got the hang of it and started driving more confidently. By 11 AM, we reached the top and immediately made our way to the falls.

The Falls Experience

Getting to Aagaya Gangai Falls wasn’t as easy as I thought—it was a steep downhill walk with exactly 1,192 steps. But the moment I reached the falls, I was speechless. The sheer size and beauty of it blew my mind. I had never seen such a massive waterfall up close before.

I couldn’t wait to jump in. The water was freezing, and I was literally shivering as I waded in. But the second I stood under the falls, oh my god. Words can’t do justice to how relaxing and refreshing it felt. I spent a full hour just soaking in the moment.

Then came the real challenge—climbing back up those 1,192 steps. If getting down was easy, getting back up was a nightmare. Exhausting and frustrating. We took multiple breaks—sometimes climbing just 25 steps at a time before stopping to catch our breath.

The Journey Back

Once we finally made it back to the parking lot, we quickly changed and rushed to a hotel for a much-needed lunch. By 3 PM, we started our return journey to Chennai. I drove until Ulundurpet, and then my brother took over while I finally got some rest.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was an amazing experience. Back in 2019, after my Ladakh trip, I had promised myself I would visit Ladakh every year. But then, COVID happened, and that plan went out the window. But now? Kolli Hills is definitely on that list. I want to visit this place every year to spend some quality time with nature and the falls.